Black Bleach
by xsoraxrileyx
Summary: When Ogisugi Motikima, an Arracar with the ability to switch any two persons souls, gets bored, he decides to travel to the World of the Living to cause conflict. Though, under false accusations, he ends up switching the bodies of a group we know well!
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I'm sorry.**

**I can no longer further my ideas for Sora Riley Iciless Espada 1, because I have toal writer's block on it. Kind of sad, I know. But I still wanted to write, so I started this new story. I've had this idea for a while now, but I just got to writing it last week. I'm currently working on chapter three... so you have something to look forward to.**

**I really like writing this story. It makes me happy on the inside. haha that sounded wrong. In any case, here is my new story! Hope you like it!**

************************Black Bleach**********************

**Chapter 1: Ogisugi Motikima**

You may not be aware about Espadas and Arrancars outside of what you've gained knowledge of through keeping up with the lives of those you've grown to like, love, or even hate for that matter. But think about all of the other Arrancars that aren't even mentioned once. Sure, you've met all of the Espadas, but there are 99 other Arrancar. You've probably only met fifteen of them at most. Hell, you probably know more about Fraccions.

I'll let you in on a little secret. There is one Arrancar that has the ability to switch the bodies or abilities of endless amounts of humans and/or Soul Reapers. His name is Ogisugi Motikima

Ogisugi is Arrancar number 39. He is shy and normally always goes about his business unnoticed. Aizen pays absolutely no attention to an insignificant Arrancar such as him. Although, Ogisugi is extremely intelligent. So much so, that he figured out a way to travel back and forth from Hueco Mundo to the World of the Living without a single set of eyes shifting in his direction.

His sleek black hair barely touches his shoulders, and his light blue eyes hardly complements the unusual hair color of his. The location of his mask is unknown to basically everyone, but that is only because it unusually wraps around his left ankle.

I'll start this story where any normal story would start, I suppose. At the complete and utter beginning.

******************************The Beginning *****************************

Ogisugi smiled as he lay in deep thought. He had been planning for weeks to go to the World of the Living. Why not? No one would notice, and Hueco Mundo was boring him.

Why not start a conflict or two in a place that he's completely unheard of? He had already stolen a Gigai from Szayel Aporro.

Everything was perfect.

Finally, there would be some excitement that descended upon him. And the best part was that no one would even know he was leaving. NO ONE WOULD KNOW!

Ogisugi let a laugh pass his lips as he stood and walked into a bathroom that branched off of his room. Splashing cold water on his face, he looked in the mirror. All he could see was the thick determination in his eyes. He then dried the individual beads of icy water from his face and dressed himself in the typical clothing of Japan. He had planned and decided that he would cause conflict in Karaukura Town of Japan. Aizen, Hollows, Espadas, even Arracnars seemed attracted to this small town. Everything dangerous and exciting happened here.

He made sure that the pants he was wearing covered his mask. Of course, he couldn't have anyone laying eyes on it. It could cause too much of the wrong kind of conflict. He didn't want that.

Ogisugi opened a small box that resided on his dresser. The box, a small jewelry container, contained a power that only he had laid eyes on, or at least believed that. It was a dark, powerful object… something. Perhaps it was even stolen?

He took out his Zanpakuto and tapped the innards of this box-o-mystique. It started to glow, then vibrate at an extremely fast rate. As if it was going to explode. Though, not exploding, it created a split in his bedroom. He morphed his body into the stolen Gigai, then smirked as he stepped through, setting foot on none other than Karakura Town. The place in which he heard so many fascinating tales and adventures.

*****************************The World of the Living***********************

Rukia kicked the ground as she walked to school.

"Stop that! It's annoying!" Ichigo glared at her.

Rukia looked up to him, "Did you say something?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "I said quite being so obnoxious. You're out of it today. Is something up?"

Rukia looked to her feet that were no longer dragging, "It's just… I have this strong feeling that something bad it going to happen today. In fact," She opened her school bag.

Ichigo peered in. There were no school supplies at all. They had been replaced with Soul Reaper stuff. Like Soul Candy, a Soul Pager and Kon.

Kon poked his head out with force, "Why did you stuff me in there, Rukiaaaaaaa?" he sobbed.

Rukia stuffed him in once more and zipped up the bag.

All that was heard was Kon's whining.

Ichigo punched the bag, "Shut up! You worthless piece of fuzz!"

Promptly, the noise stopped.

"It's fine to be cautious, but the Soul Pager hasn't even gone off, so why do you get the feeling that something bad is going to happen and I don't?" Ichigo asked.

"I can't answer that."

They finally made it to Karakura High School. Walking in was not at all different from every other day.

Ichigo and Rukia walked into classroom 1-3 where they found Uryu, Chad, and Orihime.

"Hello Ichigo! Hi Rukia!" Orihime glowed.

Chad and Uryu merely nodded in agreement with their presence.

"Hello, Orihime, how are you?" Rukia smiled, a bit uneasy.

"I'm great!"

"Ichigo," Uryu started. His face was serious, "Does anything seem a bit odd to you today?"

Ichigo looked to Rukia, then back, "So you too?"

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Rukia has this feeling that something bad is going to happen today. She came prepared."

Uryu tilted his head, "Funny," he placed his school bag on his desk and opened it, revealing five long, silver tubes. Seele Shnider, "Maybe something really is going to happen."

Mrs. Ochi walked into the classroom, and greeted her students. This forced Ichigo and company into various seats; however, their focus was miles away. Particularly Uryu and Rukia's.

Class passed by normally as usual. So usual, that it almost seemed odd. Considering their expectations for something abnormal to happen, of course the day would seem different. The anxiety nearly drove the group to insanity

Mrs. Ochi finally ended class on a note of homework as she "smirked".

The bell rang indicating that it was time for lunch. Ichigo made a beeline to the roof, hoping that the people he wanted to talk to would follow. That of course would be: Uryu, Rukia, Chad, and Orihime. To his amazement, Keigo didn't show. Ichigo figured he ran off with Mizurio somewhere. Ichigo took a sigh and sat Indian-style.

Orhime popped up and greeted Ichigo. She sat down and waited for the others to come.

One by one the group appeared and Ichigo was free to speak with them about this "off" day.

He dug into his food.

For a moment, the only audible thing was the constant ringing of silence. Who other to break it than Orihime?

"So… is something really going on?" she innocently sank her teeth into some red-green pasty-looking substance.

"Do you sense something is wrong, too?" Ichigo snapped his head over to her.

"No! No! It's just that it was quiet, and I wasn't really listening when you were talking about it earlier, so I only caught half of what you said, and… I'm sorry!"

Ichigo tilted his head, then shook it off, "No, not yet… but both Rukia and Uryu have this feeling that something bad is going to happen."

"I've been thinking," Uryu started, "What if it's because we are very sensitive to Spiritual Pressure?"

Rukia gave Ichigo a serious look.

Then it came. The extremely crushing feel of someone else's Spiritual Pressure. They all gasped and hunched forward, as if on the bring of collapsing. Th-this was enormous. This person was powerful, maybe even more than Ichigo.

"Damn!" Ichigo stood.

The Soul Pager started beeping like crazy, muffled by Rukia's school bag. She reached her hand in and grabbed it.

"It's coming closer! But…"

Ichigo stood, "I'll take care of it!"

"No, Ichigo!" Rukia forced herself out of her Gigai by swallowing Chappy, "This isn't as simple as a Hollow!"

Ichigo imitated her, leaving Kon in his body, "What the hell is it then?"

Rukia growled, "It's an Arrancar."

Uryu and Chad stood quickly.

"Orihime, Ichigo shouted.

"Hm?" Orihime was as panicked as he was, "Go to the Urahara Shoten!" Rukia finished.

"No," Chad objected.

Rukia and Ichigo shifted their eyes over to him. This was the first thing that he had said all day, and it was a contradiction.

"We are going to need all of the help wse can get. If this is an Arrancar and it was Spiritual Pressure this strong, then-"

Uryu cut him off with a puzzled gaze, "The Spiritual Pressure,"

Rukia returned the exact look of confusion to him, "It disappeared…"

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Walk in the Park

**Hello there! I have a few reviews for this already and it's only the first day :) That makes this person happy.**

**Unfortunatly my computer won't let me respond to you, so once it does, I hope to answer you're q/c**

**In any case, I've been typing fanfiction practically all day in hopes that people will like this story better than my last. I have been resting on this lovely Saturday, because my classes this semester are so hard I could metaphorically die. But I'm happy that some people like this story (^.^)**

**Oh! I should tell you since I didn't in the last chapter. I follow the dubbed series, so that is why I don't use the Japanese honorifics... sorry about that. I hope you still read and enjoy it, though :)**

**I'm trying to think of anything else that I should add to this A/N, but nothing is really coming to mind, so if you have any questions, let me know! **

**Orihime does deem a little out of character, but I made sure to make the other characters think that she seems a little off too, so it's not all bad. And that's only a small portion of this chapter. Actually, it's my favorite part so far, so I hope you like it too. I've been workin really hard on this story, so I hope you like it as much as I like writing it.**

**Chapter 2: Walk in the Park**

"Disappeared?" Ichigo rolled his eyes over all of them, "It's not-"

"But," Uryu cut him off, "It was an Arrancar. There's no way that could happen."

"It did." Rukia stated, "That should be enough."

"Damn, the bastard got away." Ichigo growled.

"Maybe he just made his Spiritual Pressure disappear?" Orihime suggested.

Uryu turned his head to her. This was the first time in a long time that she had said something wise, "I think you're right…" he looked down.

"Rukia," Ichigo started.

"He could be anywhere." She stared off of the roof and over the tops of Karakura's buildings

Ichigo closed his eyes. He was going to try and see Spirit Ribbons. After all, this was not a difficult task, and he wanted to find where that threat had hid himself.

*********************************Ogisugi********************************

Ogisugi smirked. This Gigai that he had stolen hid most of his Spiritual Pressure… perhaps even all of it. He still had access to his Zanpakuto, so everything was going as planned. Of course, stealing from Szayel Aporro was smart. It would _have_ to be top of the line if it came from him. It was perfect.

**Everything was perfect.**

Now for causing a conflict. That was his main mission, wasn't it? But… where?

He sat on a bench in a park and buried his face in his hands deep in thought.

***********************************Ichigo*******************************

Spirit Ribbons. Everywhere.

Ichigo reached out and grabbed one. This was it. This was the one he would peruse until this threat was dead.

Heh, it was easy… perhaps even too easy.

"That way!" Ichigo pointed past Rukia and Orihime.

Uryu used Hirenkyuaku to get there quicker. Ichigo and Rukia both used Flash Step, leaving Chad and Orihime to run there on their own.

The bell rang indicating that lunch was now over.

Tatsuki ran to the top of the building in search of Orihime, but instead found Ichigo and Rukia, "Ichigo! Rukia! Let's go!"

Kon and Chappy exchanged quick glances.

"Well, okay," Kon's rasping voice cracked.

*****************************Spirit Ribbon Followers***********************

Ichigo finally arrived at a park. He stood next to Uryu, and soon Rukia showed up as well.

"There isn't an Arrancar here." Uryu said, "Are you really _that_ bad at detecting Spiritual Pressure?" He glared at Ichigo, "Even something as simple as Spirit Ribbons? You're hopeless!"

This deeply annoyed Ichigo. After all, Uryu should know by now that he wasn't good at detecting Spiritual Pressure, nor has he ever been good at it. Probably never going to be.

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't be as good as you with Spiritual Pressure." Ichigo said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"Uryu," Rukia tried.

Uryu looked over to her, frustrated.

"That feeling. That something bad is going to happen. Do you still have it?" she asked trying to change the subject.

"Yes! And idiots like, I don't know, ICHIGO, aren't helping!" Uryu shouted.

"WHAT? You wanna say that to my face?" Ichigo punched Uryu in the shoulder with a strong force.

"Damn it, Ichigo! That hurt!" Uryu flung his arm to the side, as his cross bracelet jingled.

Orihime looked around; the entire place was deserted. No children playing, for they were all in school. No adults walking their pets, for they were all at work. And no couples making out, because they were too busy being bored with a teacher in front of them. Well, there was one man sitting in a bench, a bit of distance away, but he looked upset. Head in hands as if something was wrong. Like he had lost is job… or his wife.

"Guys," Orihime spoke lightly, "You should really keep your voices down."

Neither of them heard her.

"Guys?"

"You think being a Soul Reaper is easy?" Ichigo shouted the question in Uryu's face.

"No," Uryu pushed his glasses up, "I think that being a _Substitute _Soul Reaper is easy."

"Well, what could be easier than being a pathetic Quincy? Your whole clan died so easily!" Ichigo roared with fury.

Uryu's face grew cold and expressionless.

"Guys?" Orihime tried again.

There was no response. Somehow the atmosphere was now slightly—no—extremely gloomier.

Chad merely watched. This was unlike any other fight. It wasn't awkward like it usually was, no. It was scary… especially for them.

"You take that back, you damn SUBSTITUTE Soul Reaper!" Uryu growled.

"Why do you always emphasize the 'Substitute' part?" Ichigo reached for his Zanpakuto.

"Because," Uryu saw Ichigo's battle preparations and got into a battle stance himself, "You weren't born to be a Soul Reaper, and you never will, so just shut up and accept that!"

"You bastard!" Ichigo swung his giant blade at Uryu with tremendous force.

"Shanten Kesshun" Orihime shouted. Automatically, a yellow transperant shield appeared in front of Uryu, who was shocked at Ichigo's sudden loss of temper, "Now listen!" Orihime was still shouting at them, which was most unusual for her, "You two need to stop fighting! You do this all the time! Do you ever think of your surroundings? The people around you, do you ever think of them? I get that you're a Quincy," She looked to Uryu, "And you're a Soul Reaper," she looked to Ichigo.

"Substitute-" Uryu started.

"Enough, Uryu!" Orihime stomped on his foot.

Surprisingly, it hurt, and he grasped it as it throbbed. He said nothing.

"Now, I can't stand to see two friends fight! I hate it!"

Rukia stared wide-eyed at her.

"I agree. Isn't it just a lurid sight?" It was a new voice to this party. A dark, low, beautiful voice.

All sets of eyes shifted over to a tall figure. It was the man who appeared to be on the verge of tears earlier. Now his face was blank and expressionless; his voice proud.

"Who-" Uryu tried.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo interrupted with the tame question.

Uryu glared at him, "Why do you always have to interrupt me?"

"Because you don't get questions out fast enough." Ichigo snarled.

"What is all of this commotion about? I couldn't help but overhear, and it's unequivocal that you're fighting over whose job is easier, is this correct?" his voice taunted them, mocking everything that they said.

"That's none of your business, you-" Rukia was cut off once more.

"Now I don't know what Soul Reapers or Quincys are, and I don't know if a Substitute's job is easier," he lied, " But I do hate it when people fight. Please, allow me to mediate."

"Like hell!" Ichigo blasted, "I don't know who YOU are or what YOUR business is, but leave us alone and mind you own!"

"Quite the temper. I really do hate violence. There are _better_ ways to settle things, and quarreling won't solve anything.

The way he emphasized "better" made the group a bit uneasy.

"Who are you to tell us any of this?" Rukia roared.

"I am Ogisugi Motikima." He remained calm, despite his arrogant tone, "But don't worry. I can tell when I'm not wanted in a place. So I'll leave you alone and do nothing more to help you. Bear in mind that fighting among friends is the number one cause of unnecessary violence in my book. I will do nothing further to help once I leave you, so I suppose you don't have to worry about that." He smirked as though he wasn't explaining everything.

And he wasn't. Nothing that he just said made any sense.

He started to walk away, leaving them all with the awkward feel of being lectured over something they didn't understand.

"What was that all about?" Orihime looked to Rukia, who looked to Ichigo.

"I don't know." Ichigo finished… "But we should probably get back now."

*********************************Ogisugi********************************

Ogisugi found a dark alley and accessed his Zanpakuto.

Heh, conflict found. He would switch the bodies of five high school students. No, four would do. The larger one was quiet. He hadn't said a word, so he had no need of a lesson learned.

He smiled, "Restock, Kentamiosho Koysa." As on command, for strips of powdery air steamed off of his blade and scattered.

*********************************Bleach Five*****************************

Uryu, Orihime, and Chad were all scolded as they walked into class.

Kon and Chappy had managed to keep Karakura High School in one piece, but Ichigo didn't know how long he could trust Kon. As soon as he got the chance, he would march in and kick Kon out.

School didn't last long after they returned. There was barely an hour left, so of course they departed from the typical time of 3:45 p.m..

They arrived home safely, but little did they know that a large factor in their lives was coming up. A factor in which they wouldn't soon forget.

**Thanks for reading! Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Switched

**Here is chapter three. and You're welcome.**

**I just want to let you know that you have to be signed on to receive an answer from me in the things that you review. This means that I can't reply to you personally, so I'll have to answer you in an a/n. However, I will rake up all of the unanswered questions in the following week and answer them addressing you personally. Be aware that it will be in an a/n, so everyone can see it.**

**Also, I'm glad to see that so many people like this story! I like it too ^.^ kesasasasa **

**(Answers TBA) And... um... hope you like it :)  
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**Chapter 3: Switched**

**********************************Ichigo********************************

Ichigo opened his eyes. He had had an uncomfortable sleep, and this much was obvious. His bed had a different feel to it, but the strangest part of it all was his unusual inability to spring out of bed like always. He was just too tired. Without noticing his surroundings, he promptly closed his eyes and returned to his sleep.

Surprisingly, Rukia hadn't tried to kick him out of bed yet. Maybe she had already left for school? She wasn't in any clubs, so this was rather odd.

**********************************Rukia*********************************

Rukia awoke and reached for the knob to open Ichigo's closet. Though, there was nothing there.

"Hm?" She sat up, but she realized that she was not in Ichigo's closet. No, she was in a strange bed. One that she had never seen before. In fact, she had never seen this room either. Perhaps she had been right yesterday when something felt wrong. Perhaps there really was something wrong. Perhaps… there wasn't a single thing in line.

"Have I been… kidnapped?" she looked down, "How could I be so-" She noticed that she wasn't wearing the same thing that she fell asleep in, and that her breasts were much larger than, well, ever.

She slung herself out of this bed and ran out of the bedroom. Maybe she was going to find a rapist… or potential murderer. After all, she read many books where the girl would be kidnapped and—no! She couldn't even think about it!

But… why was she worried? She was a Soul Reaper, so shouldn't it make sense to just….

She found a very frilly-coated bathroom and flew into it. Peering into the mirror, she noticed that her feeling had been correct from the very beginning. Rukia definitely wasn't herself. No, she looked like… Orihime.

"H-how did this happen?" She noticed that her voice was now identical to the person that she had twinned.

***********************************Uryu********************************

Uryu groggily opened his eyes and stared at the wall.

"I feel… full of energy today. That's weird."

The low blood pressure usually caused him to fall asleep over and over again until he finally forced himself to stay awake. It was hard for him to wake himself up in the mornings, but this morning must have been different.

"I'm hungry…" he reached to his bedside table to get his glasses, but they weren't there. Panicking for a moment, he finally thought, _Oh yeah. I put them on my dresser last night._

Things seemed odd after Ichigo tried to attack him. That was unlike him. Ichigo would NEVER do such a thing. He would NEVER throw his blade against his _friend_. Ichigo was… well, the protector of the group. If he _had _to put a label on everyone, Ichigo would be the protector, Orihime would be the healer, Rukia would be the leader, and Chad would be the strongest one that could beat you up in a matter of seconds (even though he emotionally couldn't). Uryu, himself, would be the enemy… wouldn't he? So that's it. Uryu was the enemy so he _deserved _to be attacked. No, that didn't make much sense either.

Without much more thought, he rolled out of bed and opened his eyes. Squinting as though he couldn't see otherwise, he gasped. No need to squint because he had 20/20. No need to get his glasses because they weren't there. And no need to contemplate his friends when there was a much larger problem on hand.

_T-this isn't my room! This is… Ichigo's room! _

"W-what am I doing _here_?" he noticed that this was not his voice either. He reached to his neck and felt his Adam's apple. Looking down, another question passed his mind.

_And since when was I THIS far away from my feet?_

"What the hell is going on?" he darted out of Ichigo's room and found a mirror in the hallway. He certainly was not himself. He was that damn Strawberry!

"I don't know if this is some sort of joke, but knock it off!" he shouted throughout the entire house.

"I-Ichigo? Is something wrong?" Yuzu stood at the top of a large staircase.

Uryu stared at her in shock. So… this was real?

**********************************Orihime*******************************

On account of the sound of Ichigo's screaming and shouting, Orihime snapped her eyes open.

Darkness. There was not one light to see a single object. Had she died? No! Of course not! There was suppose to be a tiny light if you died, and there wasn't one so she _wasn't_ dead! Or maybe she was in the back of someone's van! Oh! She knew living alone wasn't safe! That was stupid of her!

Okay. She had to remain calm. She couldn't speak now. It would jeopardize her very life. She just had to find a quick escape.

Orihime sprung and smacked her head on a pole.

"Ouch!" She screamed as she fell back onto soft cushions. That would certainly leave another bruise on her forehead.

"Wait, what's that?" She reached up and realized that these were the makings of a closet with a mere touch. And a large one at that.

"So… I'm in a closet?" She laughed, not sensing anything wrong with the idea at all.

Orihime reached her arm up to open the door of this closet. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light. She realized that the closet she was in belonged to Ichigo.

"This is Ichigo's room! What was I doing in the closet?" She shouted. Her voice, she noticed, was deeper and most unusual. Somewhat like Rukia's if you will.

She jumped out of the closet, noticing that she was shorter and moved more easily. She felt so thin; as though she could break like a toothpick! What was happening?

Ichigo ran into the room.

"Rukia! Thank God! I'm so confused right now!" he shouted.

"Ichigo! So am I! Why don't you tell me first?" she smiled, as if trying to hide desperation.

"That's just it! I'm not Ichigo!"

"I'm not Rukia!" Orihime shouted.

"Who are you then?" Ichigo screamed the question, causing the appearance that he was angry.

"I'm—I'm Orihime!" she closed her eyes and turned her head away.

Ichigo's eyes grew wide, "I'm Uryu."

"U-Uryu?" _Rukia_ started to cry, proving that she was, indeed, Orihime. "What's going on?"

"I-I don't know. If we talk about impossibilities, then it's possible that we switched bodies." Uryu reached to push his glasses up… as if he were wearing them, or even need them for that matter. Sighing, he spoke again, "But then again, it's probably not an impossibility. In fact, I think that's exactly what happened… but how?"

Orihime shook her head, "How do we get back to normal?"

Uryu turned away, "I've not the slightest idea."

Orihime cried even harder.

"Orihime," Uryu started, "If you think about it, you're in Rukia's body. You have her voice and her appearance, do don't you think that you have her abilities as well?"

Orihime looked up, "That means you have Ichigo's powers."

Uryu looked away once more and once again reaching for his glasses, "You didn't _have_ to say it. This means I'm a damn Soul Reaper. It's not even like I have full powers; I'm only a _Substitute_."

Orihime looked deep into Uryu's eyes. It was Uryu's expression. In fact, it looked rather odd on Ichigo's face. As if it didn't belong there. Of course it didn't. It was Ichigo's face, not Uryu's. That was just a …_bazaar_ sight.

Even before Uryu told her that he wasn't Ichigo, she didn't feel attracted to this Ichigo as she usually had. She now knew why. She now knew that it was because he was Uryu, not Ichigo.

This had to change.

And quickly at that.

"Well," Uryu started, "we should probably get to school."

"But," Orihime protested, "Shouldn't we find out what exactly is going on _before _we go to school?"

"Seeing as we already know that we switched bodies, we should be fine. Think about it, you switched with Rukia, and I switched with Ichigo. So isn't it obvious that we didn't really switch with people that we don't know? They'll go to school seeking help too. Panic gives people some strange ideas."

"Wow, Uryu! You're reasoning is spot on!" Orihime's encouragement in Rukia's tomboyish voice was just odd.

_That will take some time to get used to_. Uryu thought as he once again tried to push his glasses up. He rolled his now brown eyes, _So will 20/20 vision._

He walked to the closet that Orihime had crawled out of. He rummaged through it until he found a school uniform.

_No tie? How informal!_ That was nearly a disgrace to Uryu's style… but he supposed that's Ichigo for you.

It was awkward for him to undress. He tried to close his eyes when he took the pants off of Ichigo's body, but that soon failed when he realized that dressing Ichigo was not like dressing himself. In frustration, he gave up and forced the school uniform on.

By the time Uryu had gotten dressed, Orihime had already gotten dressed and had eaten breakfast. She was practically leaving.

"YOOOOO! ICHIGOOOO!" The voice came through the window with clarity, making Uryu jump.

_Urgh, it's that idiot that's friends with Ichigo. Who was it? Asano?_

Uryu ran to the window and gasped as he saw Orihime walk out the front door.

_Dammit, Orihime! You're Rukia! What are they going to think?_

That was it. Mizurio and Keigo spotted her. Uryu had never seen so many questions on one—no—two faces before.

Uryu grabbed Ichigo's school bag and darted out of the front door despite his hunger.

"Ichigo? Did Rukia just come out of your house?"

"Ehh?" Orihime exclaimed.

Uryu gave her an obvious side glare.

"Rukia just came over to give me my textbook. I left it at her house when we studied last night." Uryu covered. To seal the deal, he thought he'd add a disrespectful remark to complete the imitation of Ichigo. "And what do you take me for, you idiot?"

"You… studied?" Mizurio stared at him, stunned.

Uryu sunk. HE studied… but did Carrot-Top? Quick! He had to change the subject! "Hey, Asano, I'll give you 100 dollars if I beat you in a race to school."

"I told you people not to address me so formally! I'm starting to think you do it, purely to piss me off! And you're a liar! You don't even have a hundred dollars… much less the ability to actually beat me!" Keigo pointed a finger at him. It was impressive how fast he had said all of that.

Uryu sighed. Well, HE had 100 dollars.

"Exaggeration, idiot! I'll give you ten dollars!" Uryu reached for his glasses.

"Yes! That will be ten dollars you're about to lose, Kurosaki!" Keigo broke into a run, as Ichigo's fast legs quickly surpassed him.

"Hey! Uryu! Wait up!" Orihime screamed in a lighter edition of Rukia's voice. She stared to catch up to them.

Mizurio, too, started to run, "Uh, did you just call Ichigo 'Uryu'?"

Orihime blushed, "Eh, that's only because-"

"Because you LIKE Uryu!" Mizurio taunted. The words echoed in Orihime's mind like a jack hammer.

"No! That's not it! Well, I might, but I can't be sure! I'd have to a-" _Stop! You have to stop! Now!_

Mizurio cocked his head, "You have to _what_, Rukia?" he smirked.

Orihime smiled as fake as a smile could seem real, "I have to get to school, fast!" She ran faster and left the rather confused Mizurio alone in the dust.

He simply started walking again. He was only halfway to the school and didn't feel like walking. Stopping, he took out his technologically advanced phone and dialed in a number. He spoke briefly, but managed to summon a limo to take him the rest of the way in a matter of seconds.

************************************Uryu*******************************

Uryu was approaching Kaurakura High School. He was sure to be there in a matter of minutes and Keigo was far behind... not even as far as the eye could see.

The faster he got to school, the faster he could find Ichigo and Rukia. And…

The faster he could find a solution to get out of this damn _Substitute _Soul Reaper.

************************************Ichigo******************************

Ichigo's eyes opened once more.

"Damn, why can't I wake up?" He thought aloud. He threw the blankets off of him and forced himself out of bed. It was a difficult task, but of course he knew that he must. After all, this day _was_ a school day.

He sleepily walked to the nearest dresser.

Blinking a few times, he thought that something must be wrong with his vision. Everything was blurry.

But perhaps that might be because he still had sleep in his eyes?

_Fine, _he thought, _I'll just run to school… because it doesn't look like I'll have time to dilly-dally on the way there._

Did someone rearrange his room overnight? The colors were off too. As if someone had put all of his things in the garbage and completely replaced them.

_Did I spend the night at Keigo's house?_

He rubbed his head to see if he had been slammed with something. Brain damage, perhaps?

No, that's not it… but his hair felt different. Softer and straighter.

Something was off. He nearly ran into the door frame as he tried to find the bathroom.

His body stung, and he felt cold. Not that the environment was cold, but his blood was chilled. His side stung, and he could barely breathe. Metaphorically, a thousand pounds rested upon his lungs just ailing him from breathing as easily as usual.

_Where the hell did they move the bathroom? _He screamed the question in his head.

_Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!_

His eyes stung as he tried to keep them open. The blurry objects all around where starting to make his head hurt. He needed fresh air, but he seemed to be trapped in this "prison".

He was starting to panic. He squinted and the world came into partial focus.

_Th-this isn't my house. _It was amazing how calmly he came by that thought. No second guessing, for he was sure of it. He _knew_ that everything was as it… _fell apart._

Despite everything, he finally found a bathroom in this foreign place.

He knelt over the sink as if he were going to throw up. On the counter were a few needles and a spool of thread.

Fearing something might have been worse than worse, he looked into the fuzzy image that was the mirror.

Ichigo saw his eyes grow wide as the reflection was not of himself, but of Uryu. He could have sworn that he saw somewhat of a smirk. As thought this was some hilarious joke that Uryu was laughing at right now.

Though, it was hard to tell without anything to help his vision.

**********************************Uryu********************************

Uryu darted through the hallway and into classroom 1-3. He knew almost everyone in there, but only one of the few people he wanted to speak with were within the walls of this classroom. Chad Sado.

Rushing up to him was strange, because he normally came in and sat in his desk quietly, without a soul to notice. Although, running took a toll on him, for all eyes shifted to him. As though he were crazy; as though, by him running in, he had created the slightest distraction the disturbed everyone's conversation.

"What's your name?" Uryu asked Chad as quickly as he could spit it out. It was, of course, in Ichigo's voice, but he had to ask fast, so Chad would answer fast with the _right _answer. If that even made any sense at all.

"Uh, Ichigo, are you okay?" It was still that glib-ish voice that Chad possessed.

"Just answer the question already!" Uryu shouted.

"Uh, Chad…"

"So… you _don't _know what's going on?"

"No… I'm totally lost. Are we playing a game or something?"

Uryu took a vacant seat in front of Chad and sighed, "I'm…not Ichigo."

Chad sweat-dropped, "Are you sure you're okay, Ichigo?"

"Chad, please." Uryu gave his personal look of desperation, "I'm begging you. I…" he threw his head down, staring at the tiles on the classroom floor. As much as he hated admitting defeat with these three simple words, he felt a need. These measly words that _accepted _weakness. Three words that he didn't speak often; three words he hated to speak, "I need help."

Uryu had done it. Chad believed him. Ichigo might have easily said that he needed help. He would have said it with a straight face; maybe even a smile.

But this made certain that this character was not Ichigo. No, this was Uryu. It was now unequivocal to think such things. Because of this, Chad put his hand on Ichigo's/Uryu's shoulder, "Tell me… exactly what happened. Maybe then… I could help you." He said in a low voice.

"Ury—I mean Ichigo!" _Rukia_ ran into the classroom. Orihime nearly expected to see her and Uryu's real bodies, but it was just Chad appearing to… comfort Ichigo—er—Uryu.

Uryu turned his head to her, nodded, and then returned his gaze to Chad, "Orihime." Uryu informed him.

Orihime? In Rukia's body? What was going on? Where was Ichigo? Was he in Orihime… or Uryu?

He tried, for a moment, to picture Ichigo's soul in Orihime's body. He shivered, for it was something that he never would wish to see.

Now, the time for answers was upon them. After all, how could Chad help if he didn't know what was going on?

"Uryu," he started, "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know anymore than you do. I only know that I woke up this morning in Ichigo's room, and, apparently, I AM Ichigo now!" Uryu was panicking, which was abnormal fo him. This hinted Chad that Uryu wanted nothing more than to have his usual life back.

But… who wouldn't?

"Uryu," Chad mumbled, "We can fix this. But first, where are Ichigo and Rukia?"

***********************************Rukia********************************

Rukia stood in fear as she looked at this reflection that did not belong to _her_.

_How did this happen? _Was the first question on her mind.

For a moment, she asked herself if this was some sort of joke. She asked… if this was really happening. If… this was a dream.

She said she wouldn't believe in anything that couldn't happen. Of course, she was one to talk. Being a Soul Reaper, which was a human impossibility. Her thoughts were spiraling in many directions. Perhaps even dancing within her skull to an upbeat song.

Despite all of her thoughts, one question overpowered all of the others.

_What am I going to do?_

Her eyes lowered to the sink. There, rested two silver hair pins with a blue flower on each of their ends.

"Orihime's powers." Rukia felt sick. As though she was going to throw up from all of this odd news that she was taking in.

School? No! That was illogical… wasn't it?

Where should she go? She had to get out of here! She was confused! Nothing made sense.

She returned to Orihime's room and looked to a chair that had her school uniform draped over it.

Shaking her head, she proceeded over to it and begun to put it on.

School. Maybe they were there. Maybe they had also switched—

Not switched.

She didn't want to believe it. As she fastened the last button on Orihime's uniform, she reconsidered.

Was she dreaming still? No. That was almost as illogical as going to school.

The gurgling of hunger sounded. This was Orihime's body. Rukia was never hungry in the mornings. She sighed.

"Better keep this body full of nutrients." She thought aloud.

Wait a moment? _This body?_ Doesn't that mean that she could easily discard this body as though it were a Gigai?

Of course! She was a Soul Reaper after all, so it should work… shouldn't it?

But… she didn't have her glove… or Chappy. It was all at Ichigo's house.

Ichigo's house. That's where she fell asleep last night… so shouldn't her Gigai still be there?

She ran to the door, completely ignoring the kitchen. Who knows what Orihime keeps in there?

Taking a moment to calibrate her surroundings, she took off in the direction of Ichigo's house. In a matter of minutes, she was there and climbing into his window. It was difficult in this larger, heavier body that she wasn't accustomed to. She nearly fell twice, but regained her balance quickly. Finally managing to tumble into his room, she noticed that he wasn't there. Rukia flipped on the light switch and noticed that the room was desolate. It seemed that Ichigo had made his bed and folded his sleepwear that now resided on his bedside table right before leaving for school.

But… Ichigo never made his bed or folded his clothes. Yuzu did all of that after he left for school. However, she couldn't do that yet. It was still too early.

She walked to the closet and flung it open, waiting for her Gigai to reveal; perhaps even fall out. As long as she—

Gone. There wasn't a single human in the closet that had become her home in the World of the Living.

She looked under all of the bedding in the closet to find her glove.

Sighing with relief, she pulled out a glove red glove. Promptly, she departed from Orihime's body, leaving a long, silver, link chain which connected her to Orihime's body.

"W-what?" She grabbed the chain and tugged.

It was painful. Something she had never experienced before. Only heard of. Gasping for air, she quickly morphed herself with this body that belonged to Orihime.

"I'm h-human?" Rukia glanced down once more, and then proceeded to jump out of Ichigo's window.

_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Dammit! _She rubbed her legs that felt as if they had shattered. She could have done this easily. That is, if she was Rukia.

**Thank you for reading! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Captain's Discovery

**Hello! This is what you all've been waiting for! Chapter 4 of Black Bleach! Sorry it took so long... I've had way to much homework to dedicate any time to it. I'm in high school and already I feel like I'm in college.**

**And thanks to my crappy Hnrs Earth Science teacher, I have homework over spring break. . The world hates me.**

**Weeeeeeeell, I promised to answer some questions that showed up in my reviews so here you are:**

Gemini24: **I would first like to start out by saying: Thank you for reading! I always appreciate feedback, and you seem to be pretty dedicated! Thanks! Don't worry, I am going to clarify why Ichigo did such a thing to Uryu. That's a promise. It's for a good reason, and it'll help the story along. I don't really care for OP's myself, so I don't write that way. And... Oh! Ogisugi thanks you! His Zanpakuto doesn't actually have a meaning. It doesn't translate out into anything, actually. It's "Kentamoyosho Koysa"(? or something like that) because he doesn't have a meaning either. He's mysterious. And nobody really understands him. (Side Story alert) After Aizen helped him become an Arrancar, he choose that name for himself, for, like an introvert, he wanted to be alone; misunderstood by all. ~Hope that helps!~ And thank you! I always love to see people's dreams coming true!**

Reina De La Noche: **Don't worry a bit. If there's any pairings that pop up, it _will_ be het... but it will not be Ichigo/Orihime. I don't ship that myself, so it will clearly be Uryu/Orihime. Now if you're looking for a story purely dedicated to them, you should check out the story/oneshot I wrote called "Confessions" ^.^ ~Thanks for reading my work!~**

Subtitute Quincy: **^^" Heh heh, Believe it or not, you're actually not the first to catch this. Oh the people who just love to prove me wrong. Haha, it was actually a mistake at first. I was so mad that I had done that, and I wanted to stop writing it, because there was no way for me to change it after people had read it. Though, I figured that this mistake could help along the story line. It won't screw up the story, I swear. Just keep on reading, and you'll see how I use that. ~Thanks!~**

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading so far! If there's anymore questions, leave a review, and I'll answer them! ^-^**

**Now finally, here is chapter 4! Captain's discovery! (By the by: "Miss" Yuki is an OC who really has no influence to the plot line. She is there to show a piece of Uryu's life that you don't really see. This is my view on the characters that they don't show in the anime or manga. What you don't recognize, was probably created by me.)**

**Chapter 4: Captain's Discovery**

Ichigo couldn't shake it. He couldn't get over the fact that he was now Uryu. No! He couldn't get up this morning, and maybe he never did! Yes! He was still sleeping and having a terrible nightmare. That was all.

How to wake up, though?

Hold on. If he were dreaming, would he really be aware of it? Of course not! But… this was impossible, so this _had _to be a dream—no—nightmare.

That was a shaky explanation, though. As inevitable as it was, he walked out of the bathroom. Entering Uryu's bedroom with a heavy sigh, he continued in the direction of the dresser in order to find Uryu's glasses.

_Bingo!_ He picked up the thin frames and slipped them on.

Instantly, the world came into focus.

"So this is what glasses are like." Everything was brighter, less gloomy, and, well, vibrant.

He looked to the ground that he was now closer to, and a fair bit of black hair slid into his peripheral vision. Not orange… and also odd that it was so much longer than it was supposed to be.

_I should… go home. But my family will be suspicious if I walk in there like this._

He opened the top drawer out of boredom. There, lay folded a grey school uniform.

School was a mutual. A place of learning, right? So… he could… get answers?

_No! That's just stupid!_

But… maybe it wasn't.

He was surprised that he wasn't hungry like he usually was in the mornings. Maybe that's because he was in Uryu's body.

In Uryu's body?

The statement gave him somewhat of an idea as to what was going on. Switched bodies, perhaps? Gigais, maybe? No, not Gigais. Uryu was a Quincy. Not a Soul Reaper. But… how?

It was a lack in his knowledge, and that was damn annoying.

Reaching his hand into the drawer, he pulled out the uniform and started to dress into it. School was his next destination. How he came up with that conclusion, he had no idea, but it seemed accurate.

At least it did at this point.

**********************************Rukia*********************************

Rukia stood… but it was extraordinarily difficult. Her legs weren't broken, but she was sure that she had sprained both ankles.

Was she really that thick that she didn't realize that this body didn't have the stamina to endure a jump like that? She would later apologize to Orihime for harming her body, but right now she had to get to school. Ichigo and Orihime _had _to be there. That's where she would get her answers.

She darted off, wincing with every step.

"Orihime!" the voice came from a distance. Tatsuki.

Rukia gulped and slowly turned around.

"Orihime," Tatsuki caught up and panted, "Where were you? I swung by your house this morning and you weren't there, so I thought something was wrong."

"I'm fine," she looked down, "I had to… run! I was just so full of energy this morning that I had to get it all out!"

Tatsuki stared. This was suspicious and unlike Orihime to take on such a tone. It was something about Orihime that reminded her of someone she knew… but she couldn't quite think of who it was.

"Well, okay. As long as nothing's wrong." Tatsuki finally managed.

They walked on to find the high school around the corner.

_Answers? _Rukia thought, _No, what am I thinking?_

**********************************Uryu*********************************

Uryu looked to Chad. He was Ichigo. It seemed like this was already established, but he couldn't shake the horrible thought.

He hated Ichigo. Soul Reaper. He was his enemy, and that would never change. Uryu was a Soul Reaper now—no—_Substitute_ Soul Reaper. Partially worse. On the contrary, what could he do in this body? He had the power to ruin Ichigo's reputation, make him fail, even damage his body. That was stupid, though. He had Ichigo's senses, so he could feel the pain. But that didn't mean he couldn't do long-term damage.

After all, Ichigo had drawn his sword against him. He still was clueless as to what that was about. Ichigo didn't seem the type to attack his friends. And if it weren't for Orihime, Uryu would have been minced meat. Flinching at the mere thought of ending up like his grandfather because of another Soul Reaper, he thought over how to get out of this body as quickly as possible. A Soul Reaper. He nearly despised himself.

_Ichigo… What happened yesterday? More importantly, why is this my main concern? _

Uryu sighed and walked to his desk before he realized that _his_ desk was not _Ichigo's _desk, and then proceeded to turn around.

Chad's face remained calm, as Orihime sat next to Uryu.

Whatever had gone wrong, she hoped that Rukia and Ichigo would arrive soon.

***********************************Rukia********************************

Rukia's legs were throbbing and pulsing with every step. It was hard to walk in Orihime's body. And it was worse after she had landed to the ground.

Entering Karakura High School, Tatsuki and Rukia walked on to classroom 1-3.

"Ichigo! Um-" she looked to _her_ body.

Tatsuki snapped her head to Rukia, though Rukia's determination was fixed on "Ichigo".

She proceeded to walk over to him, and broke her mixed emotions with fear, "Ichigo! You have to help me!" she whispered the command.

"R-Rukia?" He tried.

Rukia's eyes grew wide, "H-how did you know?"

"Rukia," he sighed with relief, "I'm Uryu."

"Uryu?" She smiled, but it only lasted for a moment before she was panicking again, "Where's Ichigo? And Orihime?"

Uryu pointed to who appeared to be Rukia, "That's Orihime; Chad's still himself, but I don't know where Ichigo is."

"Is he… you?" Rukia asked.

"Maybe." Uryu looked down.

"That's not very assuring…"

"Is anything really 'assuring' this morning?"

Rukia looked to the door, "We should try to find him. We should all be together at a time like this."

Uryu sighed, "I guess you're right." He walked around her, "Let's go Orihime; Chad."

"Okay!" Orihime shouted as she stood.

Uryu was nearly out of the door when the bell rang, signaling class to commence. As Mrs. Ochi turned the corner into the classroom, she ran directly into Uryu.

"Oh! Ichigo! Hello and good morning!"

"Er—um—good morning, Mrs. Ochi." He struggled.

"You should get to your seat. The bell just rang."

Uryu smiled nervously, "Did it? I didn't hear anything."

"Typical Ichigo! Don't make me call your father! And don't think I won't call that delightful man!"

Uryu blushed, thinking of his own father for a moment, "Uh—I have to go to the bathroom!"

Mrs. Ochi frowned and sighed, "All right, but hurry up!"

Uryu started to run out, and Chad, Orihime, and Rukia followed.

"Excuse me, you three! Where are you going?"

"Bathroom!" Chad and Orihime shouted.

Rukia turned around and bowed, "Thank you, Mrs. Ochi!"

"Miss Inoue?" Mrs. Ochi shouted after her, "No running in the hallway, you four!"

They did not listen to what she had said, and continued moving as they had. Stepping foot outside of school, they darted extremely fast. They went to a full on sprint. Where else would Ichigo be, but Uryu's apartment? That's where they would check first.

_If he's not there, I'll be at a total loss… _Uryu thought.

Reaching the door, Uryu tried it. Locked. He reached his hand in his pocket for his keys.

"Dammit! I'm Ichigo!" He closed his eyes in frustration, as he repeatedly threw his fist to the door, "Come to the door and let us in _now, _Ichigo!"

*********************************Ichigo*********************************

Ichigo was in the process of slipping Uryu's shoes on, when he heard muffled shouts from behind the door.

"Come to the door and let us in _now, _Ichigo!"

_H-how do they know it's me? And that voice! C-could it be-?_

Ichigo stood and opened the door revealing four figures that eventually came into focus after his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. He found himself staring at… at himself. It was _entirely _bizarre. But he guessed this whole morning was bizarre.

"So it's true." Uryu spoke softly, "We've switched bodies." He felt sick to his stomach. His head was pulsing and he was at a loss for words. The constant taunting of the confirmation he knew, but didn't want to bear witness to. His own words echoed in his mind and screamed as they raced his other thoughts.

"Uryu?" Ichigo spoke with Uryu's metallic voice, "What's happened? What's going on?"

"Rukia and Orihime, and you and I have—switched bodies and powers."

Ichigo looked down, "So I thought correctly."

Uryu nodded slowly.

"We have to get help. We can't stay like this."

"Damn straight. I won't live down the fact that I'm a _Substitute_ Soul Reaper."

"There you go again! Emphasizing 'Substitute'!"

"Well, that's what you are! You're also obnoxious and if you weren't hungry all the damn time, maybe you could get something done!"

"You're going to start this? I could write a novel with your flaws!"

"And _your_ Flaw Novel would have a sequel!"

"Do you know how long it took me to wake up this morning?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Are you aware that you're as blind as a bat?"

"So what? That's completely natural! Well, what about Mrs. Ochi fantasizing over your father? There's nothing right with that!"

Rukia walked up, kicking Uryu and stepping on Ichigo, which looked odd for Orihime's body.

"Will you two cut it out? We don't have time for this!" She screamed at them.

"Ishida?" a small girl's voice came from behind.

All heads turned to her. She was a cute girl with pink-tails and pompoms in her hair. Her short dress looked adorable with her frilly socks and glossy black dress shoes. A brunette with brown, lovely eyes. She had a look of fear to them.

Uryu looked to Ichigo. He needed _him _to answer.

"Y-yes?" Ichigo starred at the little girl as to assure her that everything was fine as to get her to go away.

"Is everything okay, Ishida? They're yelling at you!"

It was Uryu who turned to her, "Yes! Everything is fine, Miss Yuki!

"How do you know my name?" She started to cry this tall, orange-haired teenager that she had never seen in her life.

Uryu flinched.

Ichigo stepped up and knelt in front of her, "D-don't worry. He's a f-friend of mine." His hesitant answer made Uryu want to punch him in the face. He resisted though, for he didn't want Ichigo's strength breaking _his _nose.

The girl stopped crying and looked to him, "Um, Ishida? Why aren't you in school?"

"Eh? Oh… that's because… school's out today!"

Uryu nearly kicked him for being so ignorant.

"B-but my brother went to school today! I thought that you two went to the same high school!"

"We do," Uryu covered, "But given the circumstances, only we five didn't have to go to school today."

"Oh, really? Did you ace a test or something?"

"Sure," Ichigo smiled.

_'Sure'? Just 'sure'? God, you're an idiot! _Uryu thought strongly.

"Okay, well, have a good day, Ishida! And Ishida's friends!"

Uryu was the only one to smile at her.

She disappeared into an apartment door.

Promptly, Rukia's voice squealed. Orihime spoke so high and loud. An admiring voice, "She is _soooo_ cute! And she's your neighbor? I think it's adorable!"

Rukia nearly fell to the ground. To watch her body fawn over something so insignificant was strange. Even if she knew it was Orihime doing it.

Uryu and Ichigo stared at each other until one finally snapped.

"You're such an idiot!" Uryu shouted.

Ichigo knew he did a bad job with that. That he didn't sound like Uryu at all.

"You could have done better than that, and you know!"

"Well, what wm I supposed to do?" The bridge of Uryu's glasses slid down Ichigo's nose, "Look! I'm Uryu Ishida!" he pushed his with his pointer finger glasses up and snorted, "And I don't like Soul Reapers! They're my enemies!

Ichigo purposely taunted Uryu with the mocking of personality.

Uryu's face grew hard. He looked as though he would strangle Ichigo for making fun of him in such ways. Is that really how Ichigo perceived him? Is that how Uryu rubbed of to other people? He clenched his hands into fists. On the brink of punching him, he refrained.

There were many reasons why he couldn't punch Ichigo. But he needed help with this problem that they were facing.

"Uryu," Rukia started, "Just control yourself. Ichigo, just stop being stupid."

Uryu smirked. She told him something she was already going to do, _and_ she insulted Ichigo? Nice.

******************************In the Soul Society**************************

Byakuya Kuchiki paced his every flawless step so symmetrically. Every move he made glided smoothly through the air. His grey eyes shifted from both sides of the hallway. Having just left his office, he looked straight ahead with his permanent serious gaze.

Not five minutes ago, Mayuri Kurosuchi of all people, called him to meet up. As Renji Abarai had reported, Mayuri just said he had "important matters to discuss". It may have been an explanation that left something to be desired, but strangely, it was enough to get Byakuya to come to him. Be that as it was, he was approaching the Squad 12 barracks rather quickly. Greeted by Nemu, the lieutenant of Squad 12, he entered and stood in the presence of the head of the Squad of Research and Development.

"Ah, Captain Kuchiki! Thanks for attending my requested invitation."

Byakuya said nothing, in hint that he was waiting for Mayuri to get straight to the point. After all, Byakuya was a very busy person.

"Heh, okay then, I can see you're busy, so I'll get to the point." Mayuri beckoned Byakuya to follow him to his area of research. With flowing, elegant steps, they neared the area containing multitudes of computers and monitors.

Mayuri plopped in a single office chair and pointed to a screen near the middle of them all.

"See that?"

Byakuya peered into the large screen. There were stats. Data. Probably obvious to Mayuri, but Byakuya was not trained to read such things.

Mayuri rolled his eyes, "It's a data set, organized into a line graph. It shows the disturbances in hidden Spiritual Pressure. There are nearly a handful of people in Japan with Spiritual Pressure at most. Most of which are in Karakura Town, and most of whose, we know. Look," he pointed to the screen. The lines zoomed in to five individual frantically moving lines.

"These five should be _extraordinarily _familiar. The one at the bottom is Rukia, your sister. This one is Yasataro Sado, this one is Orihime Inoue, Uryu Ishida, and… Ichigo Kurosaki. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. I have a very cautious nature. I saved this screen video from yesterday. All seems normal, right?" The Spiritual Pressure was accurate according to who was who. Ichigo's was a bit more frantic, while Uryu's was near to a straight line.

Byakuya didn't see where Mayuri was going with this.

"Now look at this. I snapped the screen video from precisely 1:56 am this morning."

The stats, for a moment, all faded. That is, with the exception of Chad's.

"Captain Kurosuchi, what are you getting at?" Byakuya seemed bored.

"Four a moment, those four died. They had no Spiritual Pressure, or even a hint of life."

Byakuya's eyes grew wide, "Rukia,"

"But by 1:58 am, they were back to normal."

"So what does this mean?" Byakuya, who leaned in, seemed to be much more intrigued.

"It means we have a golden opportunity to conduct an experiment." Mayuri smirked.

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5: Hat n' ClogsChang of Mind

**HEEELELLOO! I have returned to this story once more after being distracted for several months. haha!  
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**I'm greatful to my faithful readers. If I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand more times. You guys are the best!  
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**So I suppose I should respond to those who didn't give me that option :D  
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**~to Lise: I'm glad you're enjoying this story and my style! Your encouragement means a lot! Please keep reading and reviewing!  
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**~to Gemini24: Haha, you predicted this well. This chapter involves both Urahara and a piece of important information given from Chad. Hope this chapter answers your question pertaining to Mayuri going to Byakuya instead of anyone else. Please keep reading and reviewing! It means a lot! ^.^  
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**~to Reina De La Noche: Ha, I agree. Right now, though, I haven't really thought of any pairings, but I do side with IchiRuki and Ishihime. It is to be no other way. haha, thanks for reading and reviewing, please continue!  
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**As far as A/N's, I'm not exactly sure what I should warn you of. If you are curious to know something, don't hesitate to ask me through PM or Review :D  
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**And, I'm sorry again for this extremely long wait. Here you are, everyone, chapter 5! Please enjoy!  
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**Chapter 5: Hat-n-Clogs / Change of Mind**

*******************************Soul Society******************************

"Listen. I don't want any part of your insanity. I'd like to stay out of trouble if at all possible."

Mayuri frowned. At this point, he considered Byakuya optionless.

"My apologies if that not what you wanted to hear." Byakuya spoke swiftly.

"Spot on."

"Now, if you'll excuse me." Byakuya started toward the door.

"Nemu!" Mayuri called.

"Yes, Master Mayuri." She responded as her flash step put her up to block Byakuya from the door.

"Do as he says, Captain Kuchiki." She commanded him.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?!"

Mayuri placed his hand on Byakuya's shoulder, "Now, now, now, _Captain_," he mocked, "Just do as I say. I don't want to have to take the measures I shouldn't have to." Mayuri's finger directed Byakuya's gaze to a surgical table on the other side of the room.

Byakuya kept a straight face, despite his current hatred for the 12th captain. He was a sick, deranged man. This much was obvious. Byakuya reached for his Zanpakuto, "I was thinking identically."

Mayuri smirked, as he, too, placed his hand on his Zanpakuto.

******************************Ogisugi Motikima***************************

Ogisugi Motikima was walking the streets of Karakura Town as he couldn't help but to spread his grin wide. He had gotten exactly what he wanted. Conflict. Somewhere, some way, there were four children who had switched their bodies, and might possibly be on the brink of insanity.

He laughed, as a few stares landed upon him.

Weaker. That's what Ogisugi was now. You see, Ogisugi's power has a drawback. If he falls asleep and breaks his concentration, then the persons who have switched bodies will automatically switch back to their original forms. This is not safe. If said person who has switched bodies switches bodies while awake, this transition could raise the heart rate so much that they would die of heart failure. Why would an arrancar care about this? Because Ogisugi isn't evil. He just likes to have a bit of fun with his toys.

Ogisugi was tired. Concentrating all of this Spiritual Pressure wasn't exactly the easiest task. It required every fiber in his being.

The occasional nose bleed would appear… but quickly faded. He did have instant regeneration, you know.

_I'd go to see what their reactions are, _he thought, _But in doing so…_

_ Besides, I don't even know their locations. It'd be pointless… _His eyes were slowly closing.

"No!" He shook his head and kept walking, dragging his feet a bit. A slouch to his walk, he made his way into another alley. "Kenta…. Work for me if I fall asleep just this once… will you?"

There was no response from his Zanpakuto. And he was going to wait for one… but his body wasn't.

He collapsed to the ground. Eyes dazed, and awake… but only just.

*******************************Hueco Mundo*****************************

Sosuke Aizen sat on a throne with his legs crossed and his hand cradling his head.

Gin Ichimaru jumped to his side with his smile planted firmly on his face, "Oh, hello, there! Lord Aizen, whatever are you thinking of?!"

"Gin," Aizen spoke, "Does something feel off to you?"

Gin laughed, "It's seems that there is a source of angry Spiritual Pressure rubbing off of one of the Esapadas."

"So that's what it is? Can you tell which one?"

"Hmm… a weaker… but not the weakest."

"Any disturbance in Hueco Mundo?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Good." Aizen closed his eyes.

"You're not concerned over who's disturbed?"

"Are you?"

"Not really…"

"There's your answer."

"But… everyone deserves the right to be happy, so I'll just check it out."

"Do as you wish. Just don't cause problems."

"I don't think that me causing problems could set this whole place off balance…" Gin started to walk away.

"Gin,"

Gin stopped, but did not turn to face Aizen.

"I want to know of any illegal occurrences. You know this, right?"

"Why of course." Gin turned, "But what brought you to that?"

"I know everything that goes on around here. If you did, you would be addressed as Lord Ichimaru, and _I_ would be _your_ second-in-command. But it isn't that way, so don't ask me of my knowledge."

"Very well… Lord Aizen." Gin walked on.

_Hmmm_, Gin thought, _Aizen's acting pretty strange today. I wonder what that's about… Ah, oh well. I'll start by talking to the tenth Espada until I find out who it is that's unhappy and make them feel worse._

Gin traveled using shun-po, and made it to Yammy's establishment rather quickly.

To no surprise, Yammy was punching a bag, unusually powerfully.

"Hello!" Gin waved.

Yammy turned around, "Oh, it's you. What do you want, Toothpick?"

"I was just wondering around, and I passed by your place, so I thought I might just pop in and say hello… but it appears odd in here. Is something wrong?"

"I can tell you why it seems odd in here…" Yammy said, bored as he rolled his eyes.

"I was just trying to help, Yammy. No need to insult me."

"Leave me, and I won't insult you."

"Are you sure nothing's wrong? It's always better to talk about it, Ten."

"Like hell. Now go away, Ichimaru."

"Sorry to have disturbed you. I'll leave you then. And you can get back to your… violence."

Yammy once again rolled his eyes at Gin as he departed.

_Hrmph, _Gin thought, _He's mean. Why is it that nobody here likes me?_

Flashbacks of Gin's taunting toward the Esapadas and Arrancars came flooding to his mind.

_Eh, maybe that's why…_

****************************World of the Living***************************

"If all of this is true, and we're not dreaming, then what should we do about it?" Ichigo rolled his eyes over them.

Orihime frowned, and Uryu reached to push up his glasses though they were not there.

Rukia smiled.

"What're _you_ grinning about?" Ichigo asked, frustrated.

"I suppose it's time to pay Urahara a visit." She spoke in Orihime's light voice.

"Dammit," Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn't we get back to school though?" Orihime asked.

"I don't really think it's worth it anymore. To be honest, we've wasted quite a bit of time." Uryu looked to Rukia, "So, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Rukia blinked. "Yes, yes." She turned around.

* * *

><p>Within about fifteen minute's time, they had reached Kisuke's shop and entered.<p>

"Hello, hello, hello! If it isn't some of my favorite customers! What can I do for you five today?" Urahara greeted them.

"This is serious Hat-n-Clogs." Ichigo responded.

"Oh?" Kisuke revealed his eyes to them.

Ichigo nodded.

"Mr. Ishida, this isn't like _you_."

Uryu rolled his eyes, "That's because _I'm _'Mr. Ishida'."

Kisuke tilted his head.

"And I'm Ichigo." Ichigo remarked.

"Kisuke, I'm Rukia."

"And I'm Orihime, Mr. Urahara."

"Oh, what's_ this_? Body switching?" Urahara was intrigued. He looked to Chad.

"I'm still the same." He spoke to answer his unasked question.

"So… Chad's still the same, but you four have switched?"

Rukia nodded.

"Have a seat, have a seat. And start from the very beginning."

They walked to the famous "problem-solving" round table and gathered around it. Rukia sat Indian-style, Orihime sat on bent knees as did Uryu, and Ichigo plopped down, resting his head on his knees. All of which looked odd for their bodies.

"So, when did this start?" Kisuke smiled as he sat down along with them.

"This morning. We woke up this way." Uryu explained briefly.

"Hrm, I wonder what this means. What has the power to do this and what or who has switched you. This is intriguing. Really, I've never actually seen this before. In fact, I had no idea that this was even possible."

"Is that a good thing… or bad?" Ichigo asked.

"Let's see the results first. But prier tome doing anything, I have to come up with a solution."

"You mean you haven't thought of a solution yet?!" Uryu roared. He couldn't take this much longer. Already he was about to crack just being in Ichigo's body. His enemy. Please.

"Well, no. Give me a second to digest this, Ichi—I mean Uryu."

Uryu snarled. Feeling downgraded to a Substitute Soul Reaper, he crossed his arms.

"Uryu, calm down." Ichigo murmured.

Uryu looked down. This was nonsense. A waste of time. If anything, he could at least be himself. Though they were trying to prevent that too.

Heh, the sooner they switched back, the better. And quite frankly, switching back seemed more difficult than it should be.

"Now, fill me in with some more details, Rukia. Tell me everything about your day so far."

"Well," Rukia started, light voice ringing. "I woke up this morning and realized that I wasn't in Ichigo's close—I mean, my bed. I found that my bre—I mean… that I was larger than usual. You know, taller. My house differed, and when I looked into the mirror, I looked like Orihime. I _was _Orihime… And, I feel as though I'm having a hard time accepting this. Like I have this gut feeling that there's something more to this than just us switching bodies. That there's something worse that's going to happen. And that, more than anything, there's a possibility of death involved."

Ichigo, Uryu, and Orihime looked to her. With unspoken agreement, they thought long and hard about what she had just said. It made perfect sense. Her logic was what they had been thinking all along. This connection they now shared. And, after moments of pondering, they thought of the possible purpose that could be behind all of this.

And that purpose was… nothing. There was no possible purpose that they could think of.

"So, I've gotten your opinion. Rukia, what is your gut telling you to do?"

Rukia thought for a moment, then answered, "I don't know what to do, what the think, or even where to go for that matter. I thought I'd go to you for help… but it seems as though you don't know what to do about it either."

Kisuke stared at her, "Perhaps you're not the one who this happened to first. Seeing how you sleep in Ichigo's closet, you might have been forgotten. Temporarily, of course. This… thing that has done this to you, knew you. Or have seen you four together. How else would they have known to go after you four in specific? Four people that know each other? What their purpose is, is unclear to me. So far. Uryu. Shoot."

Uryu sighed, "I woke up, and realized that I was full of energy. I could see vividly without my glasses."

Ichigo glared over, "Say anything about being a Substitute Soul Reaper, and I swear I'll break your glasses." He threatened.

Uryu ignored him, "I found a mirror, and found that I wasn't myself. I was Ichigo."

"So there has to be some cause for this." Kisuke stated the obvious, "I'm intrigued to know what happened to you yesterday. The past influences the future, you know this, right? At any time were you four together?"

"Yes, and Chad as well." Rukia dipped her head, keeping her eyes locked on him, "What are you getting at, Urahara?" Her tone was serious.

Kisuke merely smiled, "Meet anyone unusual?"

"Well," Uryu started.

"There was an… Arrancar that we ran into." Ichigo interrupted.

Urahara raised an eyebrow; an invitation to give more detail.

"It wasn't a long conversation. He just saw us arguing or something. He said some pretty weird stuff. Like… you'll regret arguing soon enough or something like that. I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean… but I guess we're supposed to find out."

"Is that all? Then he left you? You left him?"

"He left. With some sort of odd statement." Ichigo paused, "Oh, and he gave us his name… but… for some reason, I can't remember what it was." He glanced to Rukia, Orihime, and Uryu, but that shook their heads.

"It was Ogisugi Motikima." Chad's low-decibel, bass voice sounded. "That's what he told us."

Kisuke smiled. "He must have erased you four's memory of him. Makes sense… but why only his name? What was he trying to hide?"

"I'm a bit worried if not even you know the answers." Rukia stared at Kisuke.

"I'm sorry to admit it… but it seems to be something that won't easily be resolved. I'll do everything I can. Though… the most difficult part will be distinguishing the best place to start. Kisuke stood, "I shall start on this immediately. For now, I suggest you teach each other how to defend yourselves in case this arrancar or another danger threatens you." He walked over and kicked open the door leading to the training room, "This facility is free to you for that opportunity."

Ichigo looked to them, "Uryu?"

Uryu rolled his eyes. Jumping down, he glanced up, "Don't act like I don't know what that face meant, Ichigo."

Ichigo smiled, _Never changes_, he thought.

*********************************Soul Society****************************

"I don't want to fight you." Byakuya started pulling his Zanpakuto out of its sheath.

Mayuri sighed, "Just go to the World of the Living like a good boy. Gather data. That's all I'm asking."

"I don't understand why you're allowing yourself to be blinded by shear laziness. I was under the impression that you were smarter than that." He retorted.

"Of course you don't understand, Kuchiki. You are the voice of reason. Not only can you get under your sister Rukia's defenses, but you also have respect from Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Flattery's nice. But you're wasting my time."

"Your time? Ha!" Mayuri glared at him, "Doing what I say would be quicker. In and out. Okay?"

"No, Kurotsuchi. I will not oblige to _anything_ you have to say. I reject all of your opinions from here to the end."

"Heh, heh, I didn't want to resort to this._ You_ forced me to do it. Nemu."

"Yes, Master Mayuri." Nemu stepped up to Byakuya, and with great force, she threw him to the ground.

Mayuri shot a dose of anesthetics into Byakuya's thigh as if by instinct.

Byakuya Kuchiki was forced into a heavy unconsciousness. Now, easily vulnerable.

**Thanks for reading! Please review! ^.^**


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